Early Morning Walk At The Lake

It took until mid-July, but after an extremely cold and wet spring summer finally found its way to Cody WY.

On a very hot, sunny, dry and quiet Sunday morning I walked trails with my dog.

We loaded up into our old Suburban (AKA The Beast), drove only a mile to the turnoff leading to Southfork access of Buffalo Bill Reservoir, drove one more slow mile down a beautiful gravel road, and then briefly waffled about whether to turn left or right when we reached the intersection.

Right would have taken us almost down to the water.

Left would lead us to a couple of grassy picnic areas, a boat ramp, and a series of trails.

At the last minute I pulled the steering wheel to the left and eagerly headed for the closest gravel parking lot.

We would wander on trails......................

Releasing Kory from her vehicular bondage, she immediately took off in a fast run, ecstatic to be running free on this beautiful early morning.

She is a funny dog.

She knows every place in the region that is "her" place.

When we turn off the Southfork Highway close to home she knows we are going to the lake.

When we turn off the SF highway closer to Cody she knows that we are going to the place on BLM land known as Diamond Basin.

When we pull into the library parking lot in town she knows that she is going to walk around the library and swim in the ponds that surround it.

When we pull off close to the Post Office she knows we are headed for Beck Lake.

When we pull off the Greybull Highway she knows she is going to run at Oregon Basin.

When we pull off the Greybull Highway way out of town she knows we are going to see the wild horses.

And so on.

She knows all her places.  All her special, adventure filled, wondrous, running, freedom puppy-places.....................

Letting my dog take the lead we wandered away from the Suburban and quickly picked up a narrow trail.

This would not be an epic, lengthy, challenging hike.

It would simply be a hike alongside the inlets that made up parts of the ever-rising Buffalo Bill Reservoir.

It was still early and there were no other people around.

The sky was beautiful.

The water was calm.

And we wandered together - enjoying where we were, and enjoying this time alone together....................

At the end of the first trail we turned right, walked down a short hill and picked up a second trail that would take us even closer to the lake proper.

To my left I realized that the pond was again filled with water after having been bone dry for the past six months.

Kory had run and played down there throughout the winter (just as LC, Kory and I had wandered on endless amounts of land that was now underwater at a different lake access)....................

The view to my right...................

With all the rain we have had over the past few months the grass was tall and still green.

It shouldn't have been at this time of year.

By mid-July everything should have been brown and drying.

Usually it WOULD be.

But not this year.

As we continued walking I was glad both that Kory had gotten her rattlesnake shots and that I was wearing rattlesnake boots.

We did not see a snake on this day, but with all the tall growth that we were walking through I was glad that we were protected anyway.

You just never know..................

Looking across the inlet at the back side of Cedar Mountain.

Pleasure boat in the foreground.................

A field of yellow wild flowers.................

Kory has been traumatized for much of the past few months.

She is terrified of thunderstorms.

Out of her mind, no safe place in the world, constantly moving and jumping and breaking things in the house terrified.

With so much rain, so much wind, so much thunder, so many storms almost every afternoon and every evening, it has been a real challenge.

Trying to calm a dog who is inconsolable.  Trying to sleep at night.  Trying to puppy-proof the house.   Trying to not get frustrated when things get knocked off counters and tables.  

I hope that the storms will stop for a while.  For the sake of both our shattered nerves and our traumatized pup.

On this sunny Sunday morning she was simply our happy, healthy, frolicking Kory.......................

Purple wild flowers along the shore......................

Sunny where we were, but grey and cloudy over Carter Mountain.............

A cove filled with drift wood that came out of the mountains, flowed down to Cody via the Shoshone River and eventually washed into the reservoir.....................

30 minutes after picking up a second trail, we circled around to our left and picked up still one more trail.

This trail followed the irrigation canal, and we would circle this all the way back to our vehicle.

I was loving this walk.

Kory and I had the entire Southfork access of the lake to ourselves this early in the morning, and the world around us was a beautiful place...................

I walk without flinching through the burning cathedral of the summer. My bank of wild grass is majestic and full of music. It is a fire that solitude presses against my lips. ~Violette Leduc, Mad in Pursuit